Discussion (61) ¬

It is possible that, after the battle in Aethos and the Sword revealing Alex had a brother, Orion sent it back to Dan. With the warning that, now that Nic knew he existed, he (Dan) would probably be under continuous observation from Wraiths and any plans he and Alex made would have to be done covertly… Or that they were using it to ferry Dan’s plans for the attack on Astoria to Dreamland, and reports on conditions and how things were shaping up back to him, and the bag would up on Earth at the end of that.

Perhaps you just change the text of page 999. It may be enough to say:
Image 2: ” My last letter to Felicity for a while”
Image 4: ” and have no more time for casual mail exchange”
(remember Felicity is probably “from the street” so does need lot’s of time to write a letter. Moreover in a land without ball pen, writing on the go is much harder).

Agree this is a bit weak, but probably the minimal change.
Cheers!

PS: I second also eee (realtistic but would need 1-2 new pages) and bennel (fun), just wanted to bring an easier option.

I like your “simple” idea. It makes sense, and doesn’t involve changing too much of the story. It would be easy for them to have gotten the medicine bag back from Orion sometime during the war planning…or after the conquest of Astoria…

On another question:
I would not like that everybody always rub my nose in the fact that Dan is the chosen one. Pharaoh also needed smart Advisors to answer Dan: the King does not need to be a genius, but to know whom to listen to.
Please reduce Alex-bashing (I may be over-protective :-))

I’m willing to bet that Alex is okay with it. He knows how smart his brother is, and after learning the story of Arthur and how succession works in Dreamland, I’m also willing to bet he’s okay with the concept of his brother being the “rightful heir.” He wasn’t that big on the idea of being the king to begin with (which was one of his most mature moments early in the story IMO). It’s not Alex-bashing to acknowledge Dan’s status as the one-who-would-have-been-king. It’s just stating something factual.

It is an interesting problem. Because if Dan and Alex kept the bag without telling her about the bag, she will be very upset when she sees it again. Maybe the Egyptians have one as well and gave it to Alex to correspond with his brother? Their ancestors would have wanted a way to talk to people back in their world since they had a gate. Just a thought.

You’ll probably have to put a new page after 1570 for the explanation. Maybe Orion felt it would be wise for the true king of Dreamland to have it since he can’t enter the realm. This would also serve to harp on the theme of the true king.

Also: I don’t understand the “chosen” part. I thought it was straight out inheritance–is this incorrect? I understand the sword “chose” Alex when he went in that cave so long ago, but was it a choice based on bloodline or criteria–which kind of opens a whole new can of worms, i think.
sorry if i’m over-thinking.

I think it was already explained that the King of Dreamland wasn’t inherited in a bloodline kind of way, but selected based on certain criteria. We just don’t know what those criteria are.

If the kings were all related, that would prove interesting. Solomon and David (both of Biblical fame and listed as previous kings on the merpeople’s tablet) might not be problematic, but Julius Caesar was not likely a decendant of theirs (Nic mentioned that he was a king of Dreamland back in Ch. 15)…and looping Arthur into the family tree for all three of those would be even more complicated.

King Solomon was the second son of King David so it might be problematic if Scott insists on focusing on this plot line that somehow Dan was cheated out of his rightful place; because he was the first twin born. I in fact don’t care for that detail of the story at all and I’m trying to enjoy it despite that.

Not just second son, but younger of several, as was David–when Samuel came to anoint him, he had seven older brothers. So being firstborn doesn’t matter. Of course, if the kingship is not by primogeniture, birth order really doesn’t count.

What matters here is that Dan and Alex being twins gave a loophole: Dan, as rightful heir, was barred from Dreamland while Arthur survived, however technically. But his brother, Alex, who also fit the criteria, was able to enter and claim the sword, allowing him to release Arthur, and then being able to turn the sword over to the true heir, Dan.

No, Dan is not the “true” heir. Dan was the primary heir, but due to being prevented from entering Dreamland, he could not claim the Kingship. Alex, who could enter
Dreamland as was also an heir, claimed the sword and the kingship. Dan who is now not the king, is the current heir apparent until Alex has children. He is also a pretender to the throne, as he has a current claim on it. But make no mistake, this does not make Dan the true king, it makes Alex the true king.
Besides, why would Dan want to be the kink? His girlfriend is not in Dreamland, Alex’s is. If Dan takes the kingship, he is just being a jerk (or insert stronger word), by preventing Alex from ever being with Nastajia again. And everyone who tells Alex that Dan is the true hier is also being a jerk, because Alex was also an heir, but more importantly, he was the heir who could and did claim the throne.

I guess I’m just wondering if the sword chose Alex based on criteria and not simply bloodline, then why would Alex be able to pull out the sword at all? Alex is not Dan. The sword may have been able to sense Dan’s blood through Alex, but if the sword is looking through a checklist of who should be king and decided on Alex, then the true heir would not be Dan, because Dan is not Alex.
maybe the argument could be made that it’s partially bloodline and partially criteria– that there are multiple possible hereditary heirs, of them the sword wanted Dan but could only get him through Alex.
maybe I’m just obsessing over the word “chose” too much.

I think the sword knew that Alex was a close as possible as it could get to Dan (with Arthur in stasis or whatever). At least with Alex as king, Dan could become involved in the fight for Dreamland. As we’ve seen, the brothers make an amazing team and it’s because they’re both involved that they’ve gotten as far as they have. Dan is the rightful ruler of Dreamland, but it remains to be seen if he even wants it. Neither he nor Alex seem especially concerned about which of them is king. I just hope Dan gets the chance to experience Dreamland in person.

Maybe you could write a mini story that takes place elsewhere telling how Orion somehow finds out he has to return the bag. Who knows, maybe Orion stays in touch with the lady of the lake through a pond or something. All important characters seem to know each other somehow right? lol

I agree with Kontre. There’s no indication that Alex actually did give the bag back to Orion. Perhaps he forgot with all the other activity going on. He eventually remembered to give Felicity her letter, but forgot to return the medicine bag to Orion. No need to retcon or really explain much.

I agree. I didn’t even think twice about it. Prob because I’m not very observant or critical, just enjoying the story. I’d have thought about it eight years later after re-reading everything for the umpteenth time.

Dan could have just told Alex the questions. Alex could have written them on his hand. If Alex along with his clothes teleport into dreamland when he falls asleep, what’s to keep him from putting a message in his pocket? (I know you can’t do the last one but why?)

Page 999
Nicole: So…here you go.
I hope it’s not my last letter to Felicity.
Once you read those tablets tonight, I’m sure you’re going to leave Aethos…
but maybe Orion would consent to leave the medicine bag with us?
– Next page –
Alex: I can ask him. We really do have to move on now that Felicity’s better and I can fly.

This leaves it nebulous and those who pay attention to this kind of stuff can assume that Orion said yes.

For what it’s worth, I vote for this option. I think it’s the simplest suggestion of all – short of no explanation at all, and I think at least this much is needed to appease the continuity gods.
😉

I don’t like the option of Alex forgetting to give the bag back to Orion, because that seems like a step backwards in his character development. He’s been gradually getting more mature and responsible; I say cut him some slack on this, especially with all the “Dan is the true king” grief he’s been taking lately.

What I see in page 1000 is that Dan almost looks guilty about something when he says “you’ll talk to felicity again soon” – like maybe he knows they are going to keep the bag all along. But you’ve got to have a good reason for why he would keep it from her.

that was the same night that nick destroyed the tablet and almost toasted nastajia, so they could say that in the confusion of everything alex accidentally brought it back and left it in the real world

No need for that explaining. Call it Dreamland Magic and be done with it. It didn’t even puzzle me for in Stories I’m used to not getting explained each and everything – /dev/brain then just makes up summat on its own to fill in the gap. ^^ And again, poor Alex gets it “wHaMo!” straight down the belly: “You ain no friggin king”

I agree with this. In a million years 99% of readers aren’t going to wonder about what happend back on page 999. It didn’t even occur to me.

As for the “true king” bit, remember, they did welcome Alex as King of Dreamland. He is the king. It will be up to him and Dan to decide whether or not it stays that way. Either of them would make a find king. It doesn’t change the fact that Dan was supposed to be king.

I find it interesting that the people least concerned about this whole issue are Alex and Dan. 😀 Alex is simply (and understandably) more concerned with losing Nastajia. The fact that they’re all (Alex, Staj, Dan and Nicole) moving on and solving Dreamland’s troubles in spite of all that king-talk shows their maturity, if you ask me.

Work it out so that Alex stays in Dreamland as the Guardians have. They have the mermaid, the guardians, and maybe a portal constructed by the Nightmare Realm, and possibly the finding/reawakening of Merlin.
Besides, Alex doesn’t really belong in the waking world anyways. 😛

Nastajia: “Alex? I thought you left the Bahkta Alichi with Orion?”
Alex: (sheepishly) “Um, I meant to……I kind of forgot to give it back to him….”
Nastajia, Kiwi, and Paddington: “ALEX!”
Alex: “Hey! We had a DRAGON to deal with…..it slipped my mind, okay?”

I like this idea of Alex just forgetting. For an even quicker fix, just change the last panel of 1573 to have Nastajia smiling and commenting on how he forgot to give the bag back to Orion turned out to be a good thing.

Either Alex forgot to give it back or the Guardians have one of their own. I prefer the second option. They’re supposed to be masters of magic. For all we know, the centaurs copied their design in the first place.

3 Options:
1. Leave it as is, with no explanation and chalk it up to Dreamland Magic or necessity. Easy-peasy-DONE!
2. Mermaid or Guardians have made their own (I don’t think that this would fly)
3. My favorite… and also the consensus. Alex forgot! Thanks Helium Phoenix for the funny version.

It could simply be that the King of Seraphopolis had his own “medicine bag”- perhaps left to him by Merlin, perhaps some earlier technology that was banished with his ancestors and rediscovered and tweaked by Merlin. It would work, though the design of the bag might be a little bit different for clarity’s sake.
You’ve already said he has means of visualising things all over Dreamland, so perhaps this is just another aspect of his “guardian” role.

I do not really see a problem here.
However, if You insíst to explain it, just have Alex say something in the vein of: “Orion was really foreseeing in letting me use the T’khghdftreruerioe..(whatchama thingy) for a bit longer.

Or:”I wonder what Orion knew, when he let me use it for a bit longer” (adds to the mystic nature of Orion)

Sorry,
i dont see the problem as well, or i have not read far enough to see that the back is truly given back to Arion. It is only Asked of Alex will give it back. So maybe Arion just give it to hem as present?